Ice Princess (2005) User Reviews

Disney Fluff - Fun, but it missed it's potential

[parasaurolophus · 7/10 · 16 August 2005]

Ice Princess was typical family fluff that was an enjoyable hour and 1/2 escape from the tensions of real life. With that in mind, it was a great success as entertainment and release from stress.

The plot is simple and "age worn" - a teen named Casey (Michelle Trachtenberg) is torn between fulfilling the dreams of her parent or following her own dreams. Nothing new here. Yet, the supporting characters of Gen Harwood (Hayden Panettiere) and her mother Tina (Kim Cattrall) also have the same situation. Tina, a skating coach, wants her daughter to become a skating champion, an achievement Tina was unable to fulfill in her own skating career. Thus, both Gen and Casey have something in common: pleasing mom or pleasing themselves.

Yet, Gen and Casey were dramatically different. Casey was a brilliant student with her eyes on Harvard while being gifted at skating, too. Meanwhile, Gen excelled only by becoming a slave to skating and sacrificing her schoolwork.

And it is with that difference that I believe Disney missed the potential. The "Casey's" of the world are few and far between, and it is difficult to relate to them: "Oh, gee. Will I go to Harvard because I'm brilliant at school? Or will I become a skating champion because I'm brilliant on the ice?" Because she is so distant from the vast majority of people, she never truly grabbed my empathy.

Gen, on the other hand, is very, very real. She is being pushed into a sport by a parent, and her social life and academics are suffering. She faces a real dilemma. Plus, she has no hope of excelling at either academics or skating. Her social life is her only escape from this vise. And Gen is endearing because she seems to have a "good heart" despite the difficulty. And how often we see kids with "good hearts" trapped by situations.

I believe that most of us can relate much better to Gen than to Casey. I would have preferred the character of Gen to be the focus of the story with Casey's character in the supporting role. It would be tougher, grittier, and more meaningful to the audience.

Yeah, we all cheered for Casey, but I was cheering for Gen even more.

Decent movie except for the bogus physics

[kslnet · 7/10 · 26 April 2005]

This movie was typical Disney; a sweet feel-good story despite some mediocre acting and plot holes. Michelle Trachtenberg is a very likable heroine, and both Joan Cusack and Kim Cattrall perform admirably in their respective roles. Granted, the "child breaks away from parent's desires to follow her own dream" story has been done many times, and this version is nothing special, but it's good for us well-intentioned mothers to be reminded every so often to let our children find their own paths in life.

My only big gripe is with what is presented as Casey's incredible physics discoveries. Some of the statements are downright wrong (pulling in your arms while spinning DECREASES, not increases, your moment of inertia), and all the equations shown in the movie are nothing but basic laws of Newtonian mechanics. While the target pre-teen audience will be fooled, anyone older who's ever taken a physics class will not. Come on, Hollywood...with all the recent publicity about whether women are suited for math and science, please don't insult our intelligence by assuming that scientific details are unimportant in a movie marketed to young girls.

Old pros "rock"

[Frqtflyr · 6/10 · 6 November 2006]

I'm going to "skate" over some of the more obvious flaws... Yes, Casey's physics project is laughable. Yes, the message -- that talent and independent spirit will shine, and that parents and children must respect each other's dreams -- is hackneyed. Sure, this is a feel-good movie aimed at tweens. But here's an ugly secret: Many an emotionally arrested adult derives guilty pleasure from these perky underdog flicks.

The compelling reason to watch IP, however, is two old (sorry, older) pros -- and one up-and-comer. We all knew Joan Cusack could act (indeed she's one of our top comedic thespians), but who knew she could believably play an initially unsympathetic tight-assed "Type A" mom? And Kim Cattrall portrays the conniving Tonya Harding-esquire bitch (with the requisite heart of gold) admirably. Watching these two pros interact is quite the treat: Note how expressive their faces are, even when delivering (or reacting to) dialogue that skates on thin ice indeed.

Michelle Trachtenberg makes a appealing protagonist, but the revelation is Hayden Panettiere who perfectly embodies (both physically and psychologically) the driven golden girl (with that requisite heart of gold, natch). She cemented her status as a young actress to watch in Bring It On 3 (yet another perky, underrated underdog flick... that almost matched the cutes of the original). Additional kudos to the energetic monsters who portray the Jumping Shrimp and Zoe the punker pincushion who skates to Pink.

Hardly a gold medalist, and admittedly formulaic, but certainly deserving of better reviews than it received upon release. Watch those three (well, five) gals go at it and you'll agree.

Close, but a little lacking.

[MeloDee · 7/10 · 9 June 2007]

Ice Princess was, in the barest of terms, a feel good family- perhaps with a more mother-daughter slant- movie.

Actress Michelle Trachtenburg, perhaps better-known for her role in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Inspector Gadget", put on an excellent performance. She portrays the clumsiness, shyness, and insecurities of her character, Casey Carlyle, with incredible believability. The effort that she put into learning to skate for the movie really shows as well. Her movements were graceful and solid.

Hayden Panitierre's performance was a solid one, as usual. She continues even today to display a talent beyond her years. Whilst many of the actors and actresses paying high schoolers in cinemas are actually in their early (or late) twenties, Hayden Panitierre was only around 14 years old during this movie. Yet she manages to fit in seamlessly with the more experienced Michelle and the respective actresses playing their mothers, Kim Cattrall and Joan Cusack.

Panitierre's main weakness in the film is her skating. Her movements simply weren't very fluid and graceful, and when they were, they were always on the more simplistic moves. In fact, most of her skating was incredibly simplistic.

The plot of the movie is quite simple. It follows the story of Casey Carlyle, a physics wiz kid who has to choose between going to Harvard or following her desire to skate. Her mother, a college English professor, holds a demeaning attitude towards skating, considering it neither a real sport nor a valid career option.

On the flip side of the coin, there is Gen Harwood- the most popular girl in the school, and the daughter of former big-time skater Tina Harwood (Kim Cattrall). Her mother relentlessly pushes her towards skating, even though Gen has no real passion for it.

The girls' paths crossed. Of course, the result is pretty easy to guess.

The main faults of this movie are its goofs. Gen Harwood, even though she is slightly out of shape and not very passionate about skating, should after years of practice under her strict mother, have been at least a little better than Casey Carlyle. Even from the time the movie started, Hayden Panitierre was clearly a worst skater than Michelle Trachtenburg- so much worst, that it acted as a glitch in the storyline.

Another goof would be the short time that it took Casey to become a truly accomplished skater. Even with "natural talent" and years beforehand of skating on her pond in the winter- as well as biking everywhere she went as an excuse for her good physical condition- it did not make sense. A friend of Gen's told her, "It took me 2 years to land my double." Guess how long it took Casey? Nonetheless, the movie seems to get away with it in a sense. The soundtrack is beautiful, and Michelle Trachtenburg was wonderful to watch.

In a way though, the movie seems a little insulting to real life skaters, who truly put years of effort into their sport. Yet even when the movie is insulting those skaters through Casey's under-earned brilliance, it points out the hardships of skating through the problems that Gen and her friends face. Gen's grade's suffered, and the father of one of her friends had to work two jobs to pay for his daughter's skating expenses. All of the girls were on a strict diet.

Although Tina Harwood helps the movie by her many lines talking about the difficulties and hardships of skating, and even though we know Casey did train, so little of the training was shown. Emphasis on training, to me, is a must for a truly superb sports movie.

Along with Tina, another character who seemed to bring the movie a little more down to earth was Nikki, a.k.a "the Jumping Shrimp" played by Kirsten Olsen. She was the youngest, but the most brilliant of the skaters, in reality and in the movie- more than likely because Kirsten is an actual figure skater.

In summary, the film has its good and bad points. As noted before, though, the movie doesn't focus a lot on the training and doesn't seem to be about keeping things real or accurate in that sense. It focuses more on Casey's relationship with her mother and her following her dream, and the fears and insecurities surrounding that. Those are the times when the film is truly brilliant, and gives it an almost magical feeling despite its flaws.

If you are a fan of ice skating you will either love this or hate this movie. I cheated and decided to take the middle ground. In a way, you could call this a guilty pleasure for me. I enjoyed it and could see myself watching it again, but I feel that it failed on many levels.

7/10.

A fake look at the sport

[faryn555 · 6/10 · 3 August 2005]

---Another Warning! This is kinda biased, being reviewed by a REAL ice skater!-- Originally I did not want to see this movie, considering the trailers made it look absolutely fabricated, and on top of that a chick flick. However, just yesterday my mom and I decided to rent it for laughs. Well, knowing the true side of the ice skating business, I can truthfully say that this movie only partly gives you the truth about figure skating.

Don't get me wrong: the movie itself is fine for one who wants mindless entertainments, and the lead stars (Joan, Kim, and Michelle) shine. However, the idea that there's a formula behind jumps and spins is completely ridiculous.

"Fold your arms in to go tighter,""Push your toe pick in to get more force," Seriously, I think that's more common sense than physics.

The competition-sectionals-was terrible. Since when did a competition for teens get on ESPN? Never. Nor, unfortunately, are competitions ever that packed. Also, the songs/programs the skaters preformed...It almost makes you wonder if they were actually doing freestyle, or the more likely event artistic. Definitely Zoe's program would not be allowed at Sectionals. Actually, none of the programs except the Asian girl's could have been allowed. They were all too... showy. There are tons of other problems, too, but this is getting too long.

All in all, if you really don't care and just want to see a movie without listening to my rants, see this movie. If you want a real look at ice skating, don't.

good story, but ignorant in physics

[gruiva · 6/10 · 24 September 2007]

The main character is ridiculous trying to look like a physics expert, while being an ignorant. This movie makes a mess out of very basic physics lows, like: speed * mass = acceleration!!! I can understand that the script maker could have missed his 14 years old physics classes, but I cannot accept that nobody working on the movie was able to notice. The movie is very emotional, showing good life lessons, encouraging the children to become good skaters. The story of the movie is good, the actors play well, but it remains a bad after taste because of how ignorant were all the persons involved in the movie. Consumer protection organization should react.

Let's teach girls that it's good to be a geek!

[carmenhenry · 4/10 · 15 September 2005]

This is an easy movie to watch and I would have liked it, if it weren't for the ending. The characters are charming and quirky. The application of physics to ice skating is interesting. It's nice to have a girl-lead who is brainy and awkward, yet cute and confident, and who falls for the Zamboni driver, instead of the quarterback. It was also a pleasure to see girls be supportive of each other, instead of nasty. So why did they ruin it all by suggesting that it was right for an 18 year old girl to choose pursuing ice skating (which she has been doing competitively for less than a year) over a scholarship to Harvard (a lifetime experience likely to lead to amazing opportunities for her future)? Let's teach girls that it's good to be a geek!

A Warmly Human Little Story About Following Your Dream

[gradyharp · 8/10 · 13 August 2005]

ICE PRINCESS is not the kind of movie to which this reviewer is usually attracted - the trappings indicate that we are in for a happy-wappy, sterilized, PG, Disney candy box. But, surprise!, here is a film that is better than its package. Writers Meg Cabot and Hadley Davis have combined the sport of ice skating with the drama of teenage angst and come up with a credible tale of a 'science geek' discovering her talent and following her dream of figure skating.

Director Tim Fywell knows his way around the ice rink and the halls and lockers of high school kids and his preparation for the film is apparent. Casey (Michelle Trachtenberg) is a fine student who is encouraged by her physics professor to find a project that incorporates her personality along with physics that will assist her in gaining a scholarship to Harvard. Casey's mother (Joan Cusack) is a pragmatist, a schoolteacher who wants Casey to succeed beyond the mother's status. Casey loves to skate on their home pond, but one day happens into a private skating rink class owned by one-time star skater Tina (Kim Cattrall), a place where Tina relentlessly drives her daughter Gen (Hayden Panettiere) toward winning prizes. Tina's son Teddy (Trevor Blumas - a much underused handsome actor) is always around to keep the ice surfaces smooth with his machine.

Casey observes the brilliance of fine skating, thinks of a way to analyze moves on her computer that will diagnose aerodynamic physics aspects of skating, and once that is perfected, and she is able to aid the skaters with her scientific knowledge, she personalizes her theories. Before long has won a place along with the other aspiring skaters. She encounters resistance from her mother, encouragement from Tina, and friendship from Gen and her fellow skaters as well as the eye of Teddy! When Casey has her Harvard interview, she admits that her real love is for skating, not physics, and commits to pursuing that love full time. The rest is predictable: all's well that end's well.

What sets this little film apart is the quality of acting from Trachtenberg, Cattrall, Cusack and Blumas: they create characters about whom we care. The skating is fun to watch, and the 'sitting in the bleachers rooting for the good guys' feeling is refreshing. This is not a great film but certainly one of the best of this genre. It is most definitely a 'feel good' popcorn movie! Grady Harp

Good. Nothing more, nothing less

[r96sk · 7/10 · 3 November 2020]

'Ice Princess' is good. Nothing more, nothing less.

There are enjoyable performances from Michelle Trachtenberg (Casey), Hayden Panettiere (Gen), Kim Cattrall (Tina) and Joan Cusack (Joan - creative!). Even if the latter two's characters are irritating at times, but that is intentional to be fair. There's also an appearance for Erik King, which I guess you could say was a "Surprise!" ...

Props are in order for Christophe Beck, who I thought did a top job with the music - all of which suited events very well. The premise, which entails figure skating, is entertaining enough to see unfold. It's nothing special, but is certainly a harmless and fine production from 2005.

As a figure skater, I find this movie insulting

[richartc · 3/10 · 5 February 2010]

As a figure skater I find this movie incredibly insulting. No matter how much "natural talent" a person has, it is impossible for someone to become that good of a skater in such a short period of time, especially someone her age in the movie. Not only that but there are multiple tests that a skater has to pass in order to compete at that level, and it's not like you can take the tests whenever you want, you have to wait until a test session to take them. Also there's no way she could have competed without her mother knowing, because as a minor you have to have your parent's consent in order to compete (unless of course she forger her mother's signature).

Sure the message of the movie is nice, the dialogue is okay, and I like the main actors, but it's just so incredibly unrealistic.

I'm 17 and have been skating since I was 7, and skated competitively from the age of 18-13. I spend countless hours training, and its incredibly insulting of Disney to make that portrays figure skating as being something any person with a good understanding of physics could be good at. And as a figure skater the most insulting thing you can tell me is that figure skating is easy. And it's because of movies like this, that people think that. So sure if you want a heart-warming mediocre movie then by all means go see Ice princess, but if you want to see a movie that is far more realistic about figure skating, I think you'll have better luck with Blades of Glory.

Cute and Serious

[mllora3 · 10/10 · 16 July 2005]

This 'chase your dream/against all odds' fantasy is a light diversion in a Hollywood culture steeped in blockbuster mode. Ice Princess attempts to treat the issue of female achievement with both charm and weightiness. One is almost tempted (I say almost tempted because it still falls under the very successful Disney Channel formula of a challenged teenage life and happy ending) to forgive the every ready show of single motherhood as fanatical stage moms driving their kids to the fulfillment of their dreams rather than encouraging the same to seek happiness and true fulfillment.

Both Kim Cattral and Joan Cusak play mothers who pressure their daughters into career they seemed all too disappointed about not having achieved. Their daughters, in effect, are stand-ins of their own unfulfilled dreams. Casey, the true focus of the movie is played by Michelle Trachtenberg, as a Harvard-bound physics nerd who aspires to challenge all the planning and hard work to become a world class figure skater. Conversely Gen, played by Hayden Panettiere, is the Cattral prodigy who is forced into the role of apprentice skating champ - chasing her mother's Olympic dreams - the dreams lost when she lost (disqualified, as the story goes) in Sarajevo - and just wants to be normal. True to the Hollywood/Disney formula there is the perfunctory supportive and accessible 'hunk' (who just happens to be Gen's bother) in Trevor Blumas. Directed by Tim Fywell and written by Hadley Davis, Ice Princess is a story pegged on the duality of very pushy mothers in Cusak and Cattral whose daughters are being pushed in the direction that runs counter to their dreams.

Despite the movie's predictability, the Ice Princess had moments of seriousness (almost lapses, actually) in the core subject matter of passionate loyalties amidst the cutthroat competitiveness of the figure-skating world. Yes, you will be treated to the attractive figure skating but Fywell is not tempted to push it over the top. Cusack and Cattrall bring a mature complexity to their difficult roles as mothers who are trying to control the raging hormones and resultant attitude. Problematic in some areas, the movie does bring to presence the very important issues of coming of age, parental interference, and long term career planning. Unrealistic at best, to think that after all that was invested, a Harvard bound student (not to mention the Olympic bound skater) would throw it all away on a one-in-a-million chance at 'true happiness' but we can always live vicariously in this imaginary space - which is why we will continue to be attracted to movies like Ice Princess.

Miguel Llora

As a skater you know too much...

[icee_sk8 · 7/10 · 18 June 2005]

Most of the movie I enjoyed except for the mistakes. As a figure skater myself the movie seemed unrealistic. Ask any skater that has seen it they will probably say the same thing. If you know about skating you know that you can't go from basic skills to the level Casey was at. You have to take many tests between the levels and those tests are only held so often. For further info skaters can be mean but most of us are nice. Skating does also have a lot to do with science and math. I liked this move and will buy it when it comes out. If you have seen the trailer when she lands a triple it looks like she landed a double. With Michelle Kwan and Brian Boitanno on the scene I thought they would have checked the movie for errors but forget it. I like the actors they cast for the parts but I think I could have done a good job if I was able to. I can skate and I have a lot of acting experience.

Wow, can you say corny?

[ortizdreacolombia · 2/10 · 19 March 2005]

This does have some spoilers, therefore, don't read it if you actually want to see it. But I wouldn't recommend seeing it in the first place! This movie was completely and utterly corny (no that is not strong enough of a word). This movie was extremely clichéd, banal, stale, hackneyed, and just plain a waste of money, time and brain cells.

First of all, the movie starts off with Casey Carlyle, a physics geek, trying to get a scholarship to Harvard. This was supposed to show how substandard her social life was before she fell into skating. Nevertheless, the entire time you see this, you think to yourself, wow she is pretty, smart, and she is not even trying, which in any other situation this would lead you to believe that she was better than the girls who are popular and stupid. But no!! Instead, she has to become a figure skater to realize her feminine potential. (You can tell that this is a man directing this) Secondly, the entire movie deals with her being a figure skater and being so good that she is able to accomplish what the other girls have worked so hard, all their lives, in less than a year. This is incredibly unrealistic and it just makes the movie loose credibility. Not only this, but in the performances you see the other girls and they are all better than Casey, even in the end.

Also, the fact that science was such a significant part of her life is dropped in the progression of the film. You have to understand that such intensity for physics does not just go away, or is not started, rambled about, or perfected by someone who does not actually like such a subject. The movie leads you to believe that she is no longer a "science geek," which if she ever was in the first place, she would not have lost all interest in it in the long run.

Finally, the movie was incredibly contradictory. The reason why movies have been using such strong characteristics in people to show their position is because, if the characters flip flop from good guy to bad guy, not only do have a corny movie, but you also have no definite end or life lesson. This movie teaches you to drop one dream in order to peruse an other, that you have to loose identity for another (for one were you wear more make up and get the hot guys), and that in the end, you still do not come out on top, win the first place medal, but you still end up falling.

I am very sorry that I complain about this movie, but the situations were not believable, the characters were jerks who only cared about one thing and could not look beyond that one thing (whether it was getting your daughter the gold medal, getting your daughter to go to Harvard, getting to skate, getting not to skate, or obtaining popularity.) I have to say that this is not exactly a movie that I should take so seriously. I mean it was supposed to be a kid's movie. But I could not find one thing that I like about it (with the exception, of course, of the Zambonie driver, which still was not realistic that he would do half of the things he did,) and it was a disappointment all together. I give it a 2 out of 10, and I am being generous.

Pleasant, clean movie about Physics and Ice Skating.

[TxMike · 1 September 2005]

Michelle Trachtenberg is Casey Carlyle, a high school senior, a serious student, who is working to get a Harvard scholarship to study Physics. There is a pond at her rural home, and during the winter enjoys very casual skating around the frozen pond. Her teacher advises her to do a Physics project to bolster her chances, and he suggests "personalize it." So she gets the very bright idea to apply Physics to ice skaters in her town. This is a good, simple, clean movie about kids growing up and parents coping with the uncertainty of raising kids.

SPOILERS: Tina (Kim Cattrall) is the former competitive figure skater and high-strung coach of her daughter Gen (Hayden Panettiere) and several others getting ready for competition. Casey shows up with video camera, to begin doing some motion studies, but Tina accuses her of spying. So Casey uses a new approach -- she will take lessons from Tina, and use her own skating as her Physics project. Joan Cusack is good as Casey's mother who thinks skating is a great waste of time, and is glad her daughter is serious about something like Physics. But Casey has talent she didn't realize, and in competition places well enough to move on. Her mother must learn to accept her decision to postpone college and see how far she can go in skating with proper training. Trevor Blumas is Tina's son, Teddy, who drives the Zamboni and who takes a liking to Casey.

ordinary story but refreshing nevertheless...

[hen-rikki · 6/10 · 17 January 2006]

Nothing out of the ordinary in this film but you don't always need something extraordinary to get a good feeling,and thats what you got from this movie... The movie is about a science geek girl who discovers laten skills in figureskating.I'm not that interested in either one but the thing that made me feel for the character was the joy and enthusiasm for skating. For me the a film gets minus points according to the irritation factor,and in this film though quite unusual there wasn't many irritating oversentimentalities. And you couldn't help falling in love with the girl in the lead role...;) recommend it for anyone who likes basic drama with a hint of comedy...

1 Film-Two Audiences

[bml84 · 6/10 · 5 October 2006]

Surprisingly enjoyable Disney romp which takes the common 'Changeling' fantasy and (literally) spins it into an above average afternoon/matinée feature.

However, whilst girls will rightly watch it for its theme of empowerment, its surprising DVD popularity probably also owes something to the allure of attractive older teenagers in skintight tops and minis striking revealing poses among the older male homograph..

But who cares. Its sweet & good. Taken in that manner and its a winner! Sit back and enjoy pure sweetened delight and the blossoming of Ms Trachtenburgs (obvious) talents.

Diologue Skates on Thin Ice, but it's Cute

[elitt · 6/10 · 20 September 2005]

I got this for my daughter and she loved it. She's also 4 years old. I am not the demographic for "Ice Princess", but nonetheless, it's still a cute family film that will appeal to the pre-teen girl and younger.

Casey (Michelle Trachtenberg) is a science geek senior looking to get into Harvard. She has a domineering mom (Joan Cusack) and a group of kids that look down on her because she is smart. Casey figures out a way to make the best of a situation where she can apply her physics to figure skating and help the young skaters in the town as well as herself. It works to perfection as she becomes a brilliant young skater and also manages to get in the good graces of all the other skaters she was helping.

Casey begins to compete, but she needs a coach and enter Tina Harwood (Kim Catrall). Tina own the local rink and is happens to be the only coach around. I found it funny that 4 of the best young skaters in the country all live in the same poor town. Anyway, Tina has some demons of her own and she appears to live vicariously through her skating daughter who no longer wants to skate, but have a life.

The plot is paper thin and the diologue is nothing special, but the characters are engaging and for the younger crowd it's a crowd pleaser. Young girls will like it and probably put a little bug in the ear making them want to skate. (***)

Chick Flick for young girls, and young girls at heart

[August1991 · 4/10 · 18 March 2005]

There is an old Richard Dreyfuss/Amy Irving movie called "The Competition" about a piano recital. More recently, there is the Baz Luhrmann movie "Strictly Ballroom" about, well, ballroom dancing. "Ice Princess" is a Disney movie about figure skating. I do not mean that as a criticism, but let's be honest. Disney rounds off the edges. Or then again and to be positive, this movie is worth a peek if you have any interest in figure skating.

This movie has an interesting subtext. The moms are jerks but the daughters are OK. And by the end, the moms finally come around to understanding what their daughters truly want. I have a vague suspicion that many girls will say - for a variety of reasons - that the movie is not cool. But they'll get and secretly appreciate this message. (As an aside to moms, Kim Cattrall and Joan Cusack play the moms to perfection. Picture perfect pros. If you're a dad, yes, you can take your daughter and her friends to see this.)

My honest criticism? This movie has an excess of estrogen. All the lead characters are women, in fact all the characters are women - save one boy who drives a Zamboni. Given all the movies with an excess of testosterone, a balance seems appropriate. But I would prefer a balance within films themselves, not between films. In a few months, this'll be a sleepover rental for the 12 year old crowd, or aspiring Olympic figure skaters. But it's worth a peek now.

A cute movie that makes you want to become an ice skater!

[potterface · 10/10 · 1 August 2005]

I saw this and was like wow. I really didn't want to see it, honestly. I thought it looked like one of those cheesy Disney movies, but I was extremely wrong. It was a great movie for kids & parents alike, and definitely a mother and daughter movie. I thought it was perfect, and it was so cute, I came out of there wishing I was an ice skater its just one of the movies, that make you think to yourself, "Wow, I wish I could do that." A lot of my friends thought this movie was a little weird but me and my friends were siting there crying after this movie. It was adorable in every way, and I don't think it possibly could be better, the only complaint I actually do have is the ending kiss between her and the boy, it wasn't romantic at all, if that was a little more romantic I thought that would be perfect.;] Thanks for reading, Krista

What a disappointment that she didn't pursue her way in Physics !

[erhen-o · 6/10 · 28 December 2014]

Good points:

1. Hero is a scientist not an actress

I think this movie was very good at portraying a female character who is normal, and good at physics, I was nicely surprised by it. She was simple and not arrogant like the usual science geek cliché. This kind of character is really rare and the actress played her well without too many idiotic clichés about science geeks (except for the science blabbing which real science people don't talk in real life). It is refreshing that the girl does not dream of becoming an actress but her thing is physics.

2. Girls are supportive of each other

The fact that the girls support each other and are not mean for no reason is also very new and positive.

3. Science project is pretty cool

As a woman in technology myself, I found that the idea of applying her physics knowledge to her skating passion was awesome and cool. Actually this is what make scientists great, they apply science to whatever interests them and that's how they innovate and invent. During all the movie I liked the plot of her doing a science project on her passion and I thought this would be the message, she would get her scholarship because she made some findings (silly me!). I almost rated the movie 9 if it was not for the ending and the general cliché message.

Bad points:

1. Glamorous is better than science

I have nothing against ice skating, it is indeed beautiful and I understand that girls love it, I love it too. But the whole glamor vs brainy schema where the glamor wins just kills any feminine ambition there could be to become a scientist. It implies that science is no good and not something you chose and love, just something you do because you are forced to. This movie actually justifies why there are no women in STEM fields. Girls are encouraged to pursue the glamorous path even though they display talent in science which is actually a huge gift. Even though they rock at physics they become more motivated to become show girls, sad right ? Story tellers repeatedly fail at showing that you can love science and be pretty it is NOT a sin! Instead, the feminine ideal is set to be "beautiful and show girl", how do you expect girls to develop the confidence to become scientists? The movie sets an ideal that is really low. I think those story tellers don't think about that when they write their story. They just look for "what has been done until now, let's do the same because it works (well we hear nobody complaining)". They don't realize that girls who love science get no support at all from story tellers. This kind of story is very harmful for the minds of girls who could have greater ambitions. At the end of the movie I felt sorry for the hero because she had a brilliant path in front of her that she just gave away.

2. Science geeks can't have any passion

The movie opposes glamor and ice skating to doing science, like you can't have a passion when you are a scientist. This is just not true. The story tellers obviously don't know any scientists or haven't done any research prior to writing the story. They just worked from the old cliché "a scientist is an old and dull person who talks in formulas". Scientists have passions. Their lives are not all about science. The science is their technique but applied to what they love, they create wonders and inventions (see the inventions of photography, planes or computers !). This girl could have invented a new kind of ice skates, or she could have become an engineer in aerodynamics, textile engineer, software engineer, researcher, she would have been inspired by her ice skating to innovate in those fields. Instead, no, she just blew off Harvard to go ice skating. It is really not realistic because ice skaters train since they are 5, and honestly when you realize you are gifted in science, this is not something that you let go like that. The message of the movie is really bad for girls, yet it's those movies that inspire them the ideals to pursue. They could have just tweaked the story to show that she still loves physics or that Harvard actually cares about her ice skating.

3. Missed opportunity to inspire science girls

How many movies have there been about actresses or ice skaters? Plenty ! In fact, whenever there is a female hero with status, she is always an actress. Ughh. This type of movie is exactly the type of movies that girls watch. It was a wonderful opportunity to show them what cool stuff you can do with science! Instead of that, it seemed that the girl was not that passionate about physics, she was just excellent at it. Shame! Excellent at science? It is a super power! Yet, the movie showed that it had no value at all. I get it, the movie was about pursuing your passion instead of someone else's dream, if your passion is ice skating, go for it. But honestly, do girls who want to be ice skaters need this movie to encourage them? Everything encourages girls to be actresses or show girls, why do movies keep repeating themselves and fail to inspire girls to do greater things in science too?

Not Great..

[SeanSmith · 3/10 · 6 August 2005]

May contain Spoilers: When I watched the trailer for this movie, I immediately wanted to see it. Although, when I finally saw it, I found it to be a disappointment. All of the actors did well, they couldn't have helped this movie, though. It was the writing that was terrible and unrealistic. FIrst of all, speaking from experience, competitive athletes do not treat their rivals in that manor. Most are very polite and encourage the other athletes. Second, no coach would buy their own athlete a brand new pair of skates (or grips, gloves, mitts) right before a competition. Like the character Zoe said, it takes around ten days to break in. Then, Casey goes back to that coach to train! Thats ridiculous! Also, an athlete that is a minor must have parent permission to compete in any sport. It is unrealistic that her mother would not have any knowledge of her daughter skating. This movie was more of people yelling, crying, and treating others like dirt than a heartwarming family film. Why was there such a feud between Joan Cusack and Kim Cattrall's characters? It's like they were just being jerks without a reason, what's up with that? The only good thing I can say about this movie was the actors did an excellent job with their skating! If I'm not mistaken, young Hayden Panettiere could barely ice skate when she started this project, and now she is a very talented young skater. This was not the best movie that it could have been and I am quite disappointed with the writing, make no mistake, the actors did their best with a worthless script, it's the writers and whoever approved the script to blame.

Terrific movie

[necarroll · 10/10 · 25 March 2005]

I loved this movie, and I don't know why the other reviewer did not. Maybe said reviewer was not accustomed to viewing Disney movies, which are generally cleaner and more family-oriented. The star of the film worked her hardest against all obstacles to accomplish her goals and realize her dreams, without throwing away her intelligence. She learned that intelligence is not a burden, as it is often portrayed, but a gift that can possibly be applied to many other areas of life. The main character was a well-developed character, as were the supporting characters, and the soundtrack was excellent. I truly enjoyed this movie, and it was a joy to watch. I shall hope to see it again before it is released on DVD.

a scientific dream pushes her boundaries on her ice configuration

[lark40 · 6/10 · 24 November 2015]

so we see a high school geek who likes science and is looking for a ideas for her project but likes ice skating this her dream to skate Casey Carlyle played by Michelle Trachtenberg she plays her character to a tee hiding her dreams from her Strong willed mother played by Joan cusack .wants her daughter to Harvard but she starts doing her scientific study on how to perform jumps in ice skating but unknowingly falls for her dream but the coach .Tina Harwood / played but Kim cattrall is very hard on her daughter played by a young Hayden Panettiere (who is in Nashville) who her character has to struggle with her mother ideas of staying on top off her game... Gen Harwood / but as Casey learns and hide her dream she gets the coach the popular girl and the guy who dives the ice machine on her side to make her skating better and become a figure skater .she must dash her own mother's hopes in order to pursue her dream. Now, with only the support of Gen's teenage brother, a hunky Zamboni driver, Casey takes on the challenge of her life when she finds herself competing against the best to make it into the championship circuit and become a real "ice princess Besides what the cynics will see Ice Princess is an undeniable bubblegum treat and despite it's sometimes lapse in logic makes an agreeable sports film both emotional and intense. .The film is of course a clash of overly obvious clichés but anyone seeing this film should know that already. But these are the clichés that make movies like this truly inspiring and enjoyable. The film is fun, memorable and heart tugging. But the standout addition here is a wonderful performance by the still gorgeous Kim Catrall she's still in mean mode but god can she deliver those lines and still come off likable ultimately. So throw out what cynics will say about this sleeper treat and go experience this as a fun teen film

For better story and acting--try Ice "Castles". This one's weak.

[bill-461 · 3/10 · 4 February 2006]

It has a lot of Disney warmth and good performances (albeit, bad writing,) from Joan and Kim. The younger performers are all of the Gilmore Girls variety, unable to hold a shot or a scene for more than a couple of seconds. Holly Lynn Johnson, in Ice Castles, is about twenty times more interesting than any of the people in this film and Ice Castles captures the beauty of the sport much better than this. I do think that this film contained some wonderful messages about passion and forgiveness, but the writing and the acting seemed to be struggling to rise above Lifetime movie status. So, not bad for Jr. High School girl entertainment, but even then, you could do better with Ice Castles.

Not bad

[Artistica1085 · 24 March 2005]

I saw this film as a guilty-pleasure trip with a girlfriend of mine.

It was pretty cute. And I like Michelle.

She was very down-to-earth and graceful.

She is a good role model for the young audience.

I kind of liked the fact they didn't use big stars in the film, which, unless it is a blockbuster flick, can really be distracting.

However, during a few scenes, I spotted a microphone poking down over the actor's heads,which was extremely ridiculous, especially for Disney. But, all in all, not bad.

Plus, I paid only for a matinée ticket so I didn't feel cheated at all.